The invention relates to method and apparatus for controlling an array of non-bistable keys, such as capacitive position sensors, and, more specifically for preventing accidental false inputs from keys adjacent to a selected key in a capacitive keyboard.
Arrays of capacitive proximity sensors are often used in keyboards, keypads and other touch-input apparatus. Two characteristics of capacitive sensors that lead to their use instead of conventional metallic switches are: 1) Capacitive sensors can be made in small sizes, which is desirable if a small, tightly packed keyboard is required; and 2) Capacitive sensors are particularly easy to environmentally seal, which is desirable if the keyboard is to be used in a wet environment or where there is a concern that contaminants may be spilled on the keyboard.
Conventional capacitive sensors, when tightly packed, or when used in the presence of conductive liquid films, suffer a keying ambiguity problem. In a small keyboard, for example, a user's finger is likely to overlap from a desired key to onto adjacent ones. This is especially problematic if the user has large fingers or if he or she presses on the keyboard surface hard enough to deform his or her finger. The same sort of effect is found when a conducting film is spilled on a keyboard, in which case the user's finger is sensed as though it were the size of the puddle. Problems of this sort are particularly acute in cash register keyboards used in food service establishments where beverage and food sauce spills are a frequent occurrence.
In his U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,165, the inventor teaches a capacitive field sensor employing a single coupling plate and a method of detecting a change in capacitance of the coupling plate, Cx, to ground. The apparatus taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,165 comprises pulse circuitry for charging the coupling plate and for subsequently transferring the charge from the plate into a charge detector, which may be a sampling capacitor, Cs. The transferring operation is carried out by means of a transfer switch electrically connected between the coupling plate and the charge detector. The disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,165 is herein incorporated by reference.
In his U.S. Pat. No. 6,466,036 the inventor teaches pulse circuitry for measuring capacitance to ground, the circuitry comprising a plurality of electrical switching elements, each of which has one side electrically connected to either a power supply voltage or to a circuit ground point. This circuit arrangement, which may be used with a keyboard as well as for many other applications, is more compatible with available integrated circuit design and manufacturing practices than is prior art pulse circuitry, which commonly had one side of at least one switching element floating. These improved arrangements thereby provide superior performance at a lower manufacturing cost. The disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 6,466,036 is herein incorporated by reference.